The ManicaPost
Tendai Gukutikwa Weekender Correspondent
AMID witchcraft allegations and death threats, a Zimunya couple has done the unthinkable.
They have told their relatives to maintain a 250-metre distance from them at all times.
The couple, Stanford and Eunice Mutambanengwe, are being accused of possessing goblins that are allegedly sexually abusing their male and female relatives in Dambakurimwa Village.
After receiving death threats from their relatives, the Mutambanengwes have now dragged their five cousins to Mutare Civil Court to seek protection.
Stanford’s cousins — Hardwork, Dontworry, Oncemore, Forget and Betty Mutambanengwe — last week appeared before Mutare magistrate, Ms Notebulgar Muchineripi.
Eunice Mutambanengwe
Stanford begged the court to order his cousins to keep a distance of at least 250 metres from his family. He said his cousins are in the habit of visiting his homestead armed with axes, bows and arrows; threatening to kill his family.
“They want to kill us. They always threaten to wipe out my family. They have made several attempts on my family’s lives and we are now living in fear. They accuse us of being sorcerers and having a hand in the death of other family members,” said Stanford.
He described the five as very dangerous people who are capable of inflicting harm on his family.
“They should not visit my home anymore. I do not want to see them at all. They claim that they are being terrorised at night by my goblins, yet I do not possess any. I am a God fearing person,” said the man.
In response, the five said they have no problem staying away from Stanford’s family. They, however, begged for a reduction of the distance to be maintained between them, arguing that some local paths pass close the couple’s homestead.
Betty Mutambanengwe
They also argued that the protection order should be a binding one, claiming that Stanford and his wife are also violent.
“They cannot bar us from talking to Stanford’s siblings as those are majors,” said Dontworry.
Ms Muchineripi granted a binding over protection order to the seven family members.
She ordered the feuding parties to always keep a distance of 50 metres from each other to ensure peace.
